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Monday, August 26, 2013

Meet the collectors - #6 - Fred (update)

It is time for another episode of Meet the Collectors. We are once again traveling to France, where we meet Nintendo collector Fred.

I already posted some pictures of Fred's collection yesterday, but he has just sent some more recent pictures. So here's an update, with the promised interview.

The core of Fred's interest is Game & Watch. But that is not all. There is more. A lot more. His collection includes many of the older Nintendo games and toys. There is so much to see here, your eyes are not sure where to look.

So, let's go meet Fred.

"My name is Frederic, I'm 42 and I live in the south-eastern part of France, near Nîmes."

"I am passionate about Game & Watch and Nintendo, but I also collect motor bikes (I have a dozen Japanese motorcycles) and French and German cars from the period 1960-80."

"Back in 1982, when I was 11 years old, I received a Game & Watch Donkey Kong as a Christmas present. This was the only Game & Watch that I had at the time, and I played it for hours and hours on end!"

"When I rediscovered this game at my parents' place 15 years later, I decided to get some more. I would find these at nearby garage sales and from people who were emptying their attics. This was the start of collecting Game & Watch games more seriously."

"Around this time, in December of 1997, a toy store located only 100 meters from my house still had three new games in their shop window! It was Donkey Kong Jr., Mario Bros. and Mario the Juggler. I bought all three, as a Christmas present for myself. They were only € 15 each (around US$20)!"

"Thus began my collection."

"Later, thanks to the internet at home, I could satisfy my thirst for collecting and acquire the Game & Watch games that I was missing."

"After reading the book 'Nintendo history' by Florent Gorges, I extended my interest in Nintendo and started also collecting old Nintendo toys."

"I acquired these directly from Japan, through an intermediate service (also called proxy service). I did this for two years, but unfortunately had to stop because it was too expensive. After paying commissions, shipping and tax, the cost tripled or quadrupled from the original sales price."

"I have since refocussed on Game & Watch, but my eyes still light up bright - like a child - when I see the old Nintendo toys."

"My favorite game is Donkey Kong Multi Screen, because it's the one I got as a gift when I was young. I also like Donkey Kong II and Donkey Kong Junior because they also bring back memories, as other kids at school had these."

"I also like the Game & Watch Table Top and Panorama games, because their colors are beautiful."

"At the moment I am looking in particular for Game & Watch Pocket Size versions as well as blister packs (carded games)."

"I love to see all the boxes of the games in my collection neatly aligned in rows. But I must admit I almost never play with my Game & Watch games!"

Check out these custom NES consoles!

Thanks for sharing your collection with us, Fred!

Fred's collection proves again that Nintendo is very popular in France. But there must be more people like him, also in other parts of the world. If you are one of them, and also would like to share your Nintendo retro collection here, please let me know.